As part of an international beauty contest and the International Tourism Film Festival the Dominican Republic will be choosing a “Miss Dominican Nature” who will compete for the Miss Nature Crown. The new Miss Nature International will be an international ambassador in environmental protection campaigns and will be part of fund raising efforts for environmental protection.

Candidates will need to be single, at least 5’5’’ in height and between 18 and 26 years old. The candidate will also need to be well versed in the culture of the country they represent. While one of the other requirements is that the candidate be physically fit, there is no ward yet as to whether there will be a “Miss Nature swim suit competition” as part of the contest. (more…)

It’s interesting to watch how the American culture is coming into the Dominican Republic. My work at times takes me into some of the social networks like Twitter and Facebook, where today I stumbled on a Twitter trend clamoring for Justin Bieber to extend his Believe Tour to the Dominican Republic.

The point I actually found interesting is how just a few years ago the internet barely existed in the DR. Now it has become deeply rooted in the country with kids being able to access the internet even from deep within the campos (small rural towns). The fan club has been trying to get signatures for their internet petition to convince the pop star to come to the Dominican Republic. Judging from the over 14,000 likes the Justin Bieber Dominican Republic “official” fan club has it is safe to say that the internet is now playing an important role in the lives of many youths here. There is even a “Believe Tour to the Dominican Republic” twitter trend that is reaching the top trends for the Dominican Republic. (more…)

Professional BMX Rider Nigel Sylvester was recently seen tearing up the streets in the Dominican Republic. Sylvester was born in Queens New York and is well known for his BMX freestyle riding. He also has a BMX store in Queens selling BMX equipment as well as skating and street ware.

Nigel Sylvester Dominican BMX Video

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There is a new American food restaurant in Santo Domingo. The “Home of the Original Hamburger” Johnny Rockets has opened a 6,000 square foot restaurant in the Poligono Central district of downtown Santo Domingo, and there was dancing in the streets (well at least in the restaurant, see videos)

A grand opening celebration was held on Tuesday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m., and featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, appearances by local dignitaries, menu sampling, and performances by Johnny Rockets dancing servers. If you are looking for more restaurants in Santo Domingo check our Santo Domingo Restaurants page.

More Johnny Rockets Videos

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The Miami Dolphins will be shooting their 2013 Cheerleader Swimsuit Calendar in Punta Cana this year. The photo shoot will be held from May 30 to June 5 at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort. In addition to the calendar pictures, scenes will be filmed and used for several television specials.

The calendar will be unveiled in August of this year (2012) at the annual Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders swimsuit fashion show in Miami and (more…)

Spanish Singer-Songwriter Julio Iglesias De la Cueva was seen in Higuey at a court appearance with a Higüey Judicial District Instruction judge. No word as to why Iglesias had the court appearance.

Julio Iglesias is an investor for the resort Group Puntacana in Punta Cana where it is said that he spend much of his time when not on tour.

Igleasias gained much notoriety with his solo singing career (more…)

Boxing fans might be interested to know that former heavy weight champ George Foreman is rumored to have plans to be at a scheduled boxing event in Santiago October 19, 2012. Foreman is training his son George Foreman Jr. who will be fighting in the event.

The bout is scheduled to be held at the Gran Arena del Cibao Oscar Gobaira and will include several bouts. The event is also set to be broadcast by ESPN Desportes. (more…)

A contestant from the La Vega province was crowned the new Miss Dominican Republic Universe (Miss República Dominicana Universo). The contest is held in Santo Domingo which decides who will represent the Dominican Republic in the Miss Universe pageant to be held in December of 2012.

Carlina Duran Baldera was crowned by last years winner Dalia Fernández in the Jaragua Hotel in Santo Domingo on April 17th, 2012. (more…)

This weekends Dominican Republic celebrity sightings include Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian who were spotted in La Romana over the weekend. The Kardashians were joined by Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner. (more…)

It’s party time again in La Vega Dominican Republic. While it always kind of seams like there is a party going on, the month of February brings it to new heights. Each weekend during the month of February there will be parties going on throughout most of the Dominican Republic but the most famous area is Carnival Vegano in Le Vega.

The carnival is known for its costumes and in particular the masks. Groups of people spend month creating elaborate costumes called “diablos cojuelos” , or Devils with the competition centering around who can create the most grotesque masks.

Part of the celebration include “vejigas”. Originally dried cow bladder but now can be made out of almost anything similar. These are used to whip people in the streets. (more…)